The illustrious surname Swinnerton is classified as a habitation surname, which was originally derived from a place-name, and is one form of surname belonging to a broader group called hereditary surnames. Habitation names were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Topographic names, form the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Swinnerton is a place-name from the place-name Swynnerton, a village and civil parish in Staffordshire. The family was an "ancient knightly family of Staffordshire, descended from Sir Roger de Swynnerton, lord of the manor of Swynnerton during the reign of Edward I." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. Two other records were found of the family about the same time: Robert de Swinnerton, Staffordshire; and John de Swynnerton, Derbyshire. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)

Swinnerton Early Origins

The surname Swinnerton was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of Swinnerton, and were at a very early period, after the Norman Conquest in 1066, of knightly and baronial degree. Count Alanus, Duke of Bretegne, and the nephew of William the Conqueror held Swinnerton.

Barrow in Cheshire was an ancient family seat at one time. "[Barrow] was given by Ranulph, Earl of Chester, to his nephew William de Albini, Earl of Arundel. The two manors were at a later period possessed by the Despencers, and, after their attainder, were granted by Edward III. to Sir Roger de Swinerton, an heiress of whose family brought them, in marriage, to Sir John Savage, who was knighted by Henry V. at the battle of Agincourt." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Swynnerton Hall is an 18th-century country mansion house which was held by the family for centuries. One of the earliest records of this family was Thomas Swynnerton of Swynnerton Hall and Hilton Hall, Staffordshire, father of Humphrey Swynnerton ( ca. 1516-1562), English politician and landholder.

Swinnerton Spelling Variations

Swinnerton Spelling Variations

Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Swinnerton, Swinerton, Swinnertone, Swinertone and others.

Swinnerton Early History

Swinnerton Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swinnerton research. Another 319 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1450, 1602, 1612, 1563, 1609, 1322, 1361, 1349, 1427, 1391, 1392, 1449, 1501, 1616, 1601, 1611 and 1612 are included under the topic Early Swinnerton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Other References

Bede, The Venerable. Historia Ecclesiatica Gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History Of the English People). Available through Internet Medieval Sourcebook the Fordham University Centre for Medieval Studies. Print.

Shirley, Evelyn Philip. Noble and Gentle Men of England Or Notes Touching The Arms and Descendants of the Ancient Knightley and Gentle Houses of England Arranged in their Respective Counties 3rd Edition. Westminster: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons, 1866. Print.

Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry. (2 Volumes). London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.

Bowman, George Ernest. The Mayflower Reader A Selection of Articales from The Mayflower Descendent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.

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The Swinnerton Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Swinnerton Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.